The thermostat is cranked past sizzling, and if it was any more humid there’d be ferns growing out of the walls. The lights are bright and relentless. They reflect off the perspiration that stings Sisyphus’ eyes and drizzles down the bridge of his nose. He’s in there wrangling 45-pound boxes, stacking them on a bench at chest level. Every time he picks one up, the one he stacked before slips back down. It’s a hell of a job.

And it’s the image that encapsulated the University of Connecticut Neag School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology for Jim Smith when he was hired to write a feature about the department. Created in 1985, the department now boasts the nation’s #1 Ph.D. program, according to the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

Telling its story was challenging. “I was pretty sure a lot of readers wouldn’t know what kinesiology is,” says Jim. “So, I wanted to show them.” With a compelling lead and good examples, Jim helped readers understand why kinesiology is important and how the department’s research – such as studies of how people perform routine physical tasks in intense heat and humidity – can help military personnel who work in extreme conditions or help athletes avoid potentially fatal heat stroke.

Click on the link at left to read "Moving to the Top in the Study of Exercise and Motion" on the UConn magazine website.